Kop and England star as Spurs progress in FA Cup after decisive penalty shootout

Tottenham Hotspur Women clinched a last-gasp victory over London City Lionesses in the fifth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on penalties at the Copperjax Community Stadium.

An early first-half strike from Matilda Vinberg fired up the visitors, while London City kept their momentum through Danielle van de Donk and Jana Fernández late on in the second half.

A last-minute penalty (90+7) by Bethany England levelled the score, while both teams’ resilience kept them pushing through extra time and into a dramatic penalty shootout after over 120 minutes of football.

Pre-match analysis

Fresh from impressive fourth-round victories, both sides were eager to make their mark.

London City Lionesses secured a strong win over Sunderland, while Spurs cruised to a dominant 5-0 victory against Leicester City.

Tottenham Hotspur entered the match in excellent form, having performed strongly across all competitions, having come off an emphatic league win over Aston Villa, and were determined to carry that momentum forward into the FA Cup.

In contrast, London City had experienced mixed results in recent fixtures and were looking to build consistency and improve their performances.

Both teams had shown their quality in the FA Cup so far and were prepared for a competitive encounter.

This fixture proved to be a good test for both clubs. Across their previous eleven meetings, London City had won five, Spurs won four, and two matches have ended in draws

Lineups

Lining up in a 4-2-3-1, Spurs focused on their backline, with new additions Tôko Koga, Julie Blakstad and Hanna Wijk strengthening the defence. Molly Bartrip returned to the starting lineup with the armband, as England dropped to the bench and Clare Hunt departed early for the Asian Cup.

Recent goalscorers Olivia Holdt, Cathinka Tandberg and Vinberg led from the front, while Maika Hamano and Signe Gaupset provided options in attack.

London City, using the same formation, however, shifted towards their attacking play, using forwards such as Freya Godfrey and Kosovare Asllani to lead from the front, rather than their defence.

First half

The hosts started very dominant on the ball, taking opportunities on the front foot, but struggled to convert their chances.

There was a real chance for Spurs early on in the half, but it was headed away despite a dominant performance.

The Lilywhites then took advantage a few minutes later, when Vinberg cut through the defence and scored with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box, making it 1-0 to Spurs.

Spurs almost doubled their lead with an excellent strike that went wide, but it came to nothing. London City pressed hard, with several chances, but goalkeeper Lize Kop kept them at bay.

Saki Kumagai attempted to equalise through a melee in the box, but Spurs defended as best they could.

Spurs remained dominant in possession for most of the half, while London City struggled to impose themselves despite pockets of pressure and creativity.

Half-time: London City Lionesses 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Second half

Spurs followed their dominance through the second half, with several close chances. They were close to doubling their lead, but it was deflected several times by London City’s defence. 

London City continued to push through before being rewarded with Van de Donk’s equaliser in the 58th minute, just minutes after her introduction from the bench.

Her equaliser was closely followed by Fernández’ clinical strike from outside the box, which gave the hosts the advantage with less than twenty minutes left on the clock.

With the score 2-1, both teams attempted to gain an advantage with feisty challenges and aggression emerging at the forefront with stakes of an FA Cup quarter final high.

However, less than one minute left on the clock and referee Ryan Atkin pointed to the spot after a handball from Teyah Goldie inside the box. Captain, England levelled the score and gave Tottenham the belief that they could leave the Copperjax Community Stadium victorious, with thirty minutes of extra time looming.  

Second half: London City Lionesses 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Extra time

Both teams pushed for an advantage, piling on the pressure, but chances came and went, preventing either side from scoring.

Despite using all five substitutions, neither Martin Ho nor Eder Maestre could encourage their team to a winning goal ahead of the final whistle.

Extra time: London City Lionesses 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Flawless penalty shootout

After extra time, the score remained level, leading to penalties. After 20 minutes, all 17 penalties had been converted flawlessly, until Kop denied Wassa Sangaré in the final moments to lead Spurs to the quarter final.

Having scored and saved a penalty, Kop earned the Player of the Match award and stood out for her consistency and resilience in the net.

Full-time score: London City Lionesses: 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur ( 8-9 to Tottenham Hotspur after penalties).

What’s next? 

Chelsea will host Spurs in the quarterfinals of the Cup on the 5th of April (14:00 KO), while London City Lionesses will play Arsenal at home in the Barclays Women’s Super League on the 15th of March (11:55 KO).

Following an intense fixture going down to the wire, both sides will need to focus on recovery and reflection. However, for many players focus turns to the international break.